Stretchy, Transparent Gaming Controller Acts Like a Second Skin
Credit: Kim et al.,
Science 2016
It's finally happened. Our bodies can now become one with the game controller.
A stretchy, skin-like controller created by materials scientists at Seoul National University promises to turn a forearm into a touchpad for gaming, playing music, and scrawling notes that appear on a computer screen.The team, led by researcher Chong-Chan Kim along with Jeong-Yun Sun, a professor of materials science and engineering, imagines a future where we ditch brittle electrodes for soft, biocompatible technology. No more stiff touch panels for human-computer interactions. So they got to work on a transparent hydrogel one.
They developed the panel using a hydrogel made from polyacrylamide, which is a water-soluble acrylic resin, and lithium chloride salts that act like a conductor. Electrodes on both ends of the panel create a uniform electrostatic field. Pressing on it closes the circuit, allowing the current to flow to the touch point.
Current meters at each corner pick up the signals and transmit them to a separate controller board that connects to a computer, the scientists report in the current issue of Science (abstract). https://www.livescience.com/55755-stretchy-transparent-game-controller-acts-like-a-second-skin.html
